Gender facts

With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. On the other hand, the fact that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, they are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

Lets take a look at facts and figures across the globe to find out what is the current situation of women compared to that of men.

Global Issues

Globally women account for the majority of people aged over 60 and over 80

530,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth each year

Of 1.2 billion people living in poverty worldwide, 70% are women

80% of the world's 27 million refugees are women

5 people are added to the world's population every 2 seconds

Women are 2/3 of the 1 billion+ illiterate adults who have no access to basic education

Innovation

Globally women comprise 42% internet users

In OECD countries women comprise only 30 per cent of degrees in science and technology

Women's representation in computer and information sciences workforce is around 30% globally

Business / Finance

Only in Japan and Peru are women more active in starting a business than men

Women spend more time researching before they invest than men do

Media

Only 21% of all news subjects (people interviewed or whom the news is about) are female

Women are less than 1% department heads, editors, media owners but third of working journalists

Work

Women do two-thirds of the world's work but receive only 10% of the world's income

Women's education is the most powerful predictor of lower fertility rates

One year out of college women earn 20% less than men and 10 years later 31% less

Women on average are away from workforce for 14.7 years compared to 1.6 years for men

India has world's largest number of professionally qualified women.

India has largest population of working women in the world.

India has more number of doctors, surgeons, scientists, professors than the United States

Government

Until 20 years ago there had never been more than 5% women MPs globally.

From 1945 to 1995 the percentage of women MPs worldwide increased four-fold

Benazir Bhutto was the first woman prime minister of a Muslim country (assassinated 27/12/07)